All the Rest is Darkness, by Mark P Presti Jr.

All the Rest is Darkness

by Mark P Presti Jr.

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1.	Infinite Loop Syndrome 03:59	lyrics	buy track
I can’t envision another way. Everything, it always ends the same. A broken future, a wicked past. I’m not surprised the whole thing didn’t last. You stick a knife inside my heart, but I bleed no blood. Need you to save my life once more before I’m gone. I try to get the last words out, but the sounds won’t come out. Maybe we’re better off this way, If I could only just stay. I am a demon, locked in a cage. A crimson door, it stands in my way. I’ve crossed the line, into the nevers. And now this rabid dog is gonna bite. You stick a knife inside my heart, but I bleed no blood. Need you to save my life once more before I’m gone. I try to get the last words out, but the sounds won’t come out. Maybe we’re better off this way, If I could only just stay. Don’t wake up. This is the end of me. I try to get the last words out, but the sounds won’t come out. Maybe we’re better off this way, If I could only just stay.
2.	The Alternative (Feat. David Fippinger) 04:23	lyrics	buy track
Where to begin? I’ll begin again. It’s come to pass and now we’re near the end. Shadow people living in my head. We’re not stupid, the alternative. Just do what you will while I’m caught in your deadlights. Embrace my mind. Embrace me. I feel you in my blood. I’ll make up for lost time. Erase my mind. Erase me. Try to forget memories that plague me. They’ve sunk their hooks in and tear me up. Safe in beliefs, clinging to my head. In this mirror is someone I don’t know. Just do what you will while I’m caught in your deadlights. Embrace my mind. Embrace me. I feel you in my blood. I’ll make up for lost time. Erase my mind. Erase me. We are the the alternative. (x2) Pull the knife from my back. I’m the one who put it there. I’m sick of this feeling. That’s all I have to share. If you’ve thought about changing, know it can be done. If you feel like you’re choking it may be your own thumb. Just do what you will while I’m caught in your deadlights. Embrace my mind. Embrace me. I feel you in my blood. I’ll make up for lost time. Erase my mind. Erase me. Erase me. Erase me.
3.	Motives 03:50	lyrics	buy track
Let’s start a fire and burn away The person I was yesterday. I’ve got my motives in check right now. I left personalities at the door. Now it’s okay to be myself. I’m the weird one on the shelf. Much like the words I’ve always felt. All you’ve been doing is saving your face. Try saving your ass by the end of the day. Another relapse is another mistake. They’ll put on the jacket and take you away. Now it’s okay to be myself. I’m the weird one on the shelf. Much like the words I’ve always felt. There is an ocean of light in my mind, Buried behind all the secrets intertwined. Tattoo instructions on my skin. Cut out the cancer from within. Now it’s okay to be myself. I’m the weird one on the shelf. Much like the words I’ve always felt.
4.	Liminal Space 04:58	lyrics	buy track
Curse this hum, I’m crawling up walls as lights beam their pasty glow. Breathing hard, The monster is gaining, I’m tired and move too slow. No way home, I run up and down these halls all the same. Hold me up, I’m launched into the back rooms. I’m the blamed. I’ve been watching in wait all these colors and shapes. I can never escape this liminal space. It fills me, This musty smell of old news bound by witch’s spell. Who am I? What pushes me forth through time, losing track of self? Could this be The secret? Searching for so long for a way out. Suggestions, Have led me here to keep on going down. I’be been watching in wait all these colors and shapes. I can never escape this liminal space. Tectonic shifts begin to slip. Stuck in these wrongs for way too long. I’ve been watching in wait all these colors and shapes. I can never escape this liminal space. I remember those times when I thought that I was invincible. And to everyone else in this world, though, I was invisible. I’ll savor this moment alone, life’s so unpredictable. The quiet and calm be still, til I’m just as miserable.
5.	Wellower 04:34	lyrics	buy track
Bridges burning at the cruxes of my descent. The fortunate will repent. Bad ideas and karma can always get me bent. Unfortunate, it will present. I’ve done all this talking about who I used to be. Who I used to. Just a little bit better, well beyond my dreams. Well beyond me. Oh well, oh well, oh well, oh! Oh well, oh well, oh wellower. Blisters forming at locations of this friction. Feel pressure build, then it’s done. Sacred forces pull me from marching flames abound. Forever entrapped in the sound. I’ve done all this talking about who I used to be. Who I used to. Just a little bit better, well beyond my dreams. Well beyond me. Oh well, oh well, oh well, oh! Oh well, oh well, oh wellower. It seems my regrets Don’t resent me yet. (It doesn’t feel the same. I’ll fight in the shade.) Yesterday’s food don’t feed today’s hunger. Pretend to get The points that I’ve meant. (It never feels the same. I know who to blame.) You were the one with the guilt of the undead. I’ve done all this talking about who I used to be. Who I used to. Just a little bit better, well beyond my dreams. Well beyond me. Oh well, oh well, oh well, oh! Oh well, oh well, oh wellower.
6.	Is This Limbo? 04:39	lyrics	buy track
If pain is temporary, then why does it never seem to fade? There’s nothing ordinary, about the way I analyze my pain. This face bears desperation and the heart is evidently drained. It’s running out, but there’s still time. Just lay me down and keep the world outside. Don’t keep these secrets. There’s nothing left to hide. Locked in seclusion, it feels like I’ve already died. If I’m in limbo, then there must be more to decide. There’s something left. If loss is filled with regret, my glass is forever overflown. Suggestions, meant to forget. My loss is the rest of the world’s gain. I’m sick of consequences. Can’t stop transgressions at the source. Give up on breaking down these walls. Just lay me down and keep the world outside. Don’t keep these secrets. There’s nothing left to hide. Locked in seclusion, it feels like I’ve already died. If I’m in limbo, then there must be more to decide. There’s something left. Cover this body with dirt. Leave me here in the earth. I needed you like a house needs a fire to burn. I’ll never learn. Just lay me down and keep the world outside. Don’t keep these secrets. There’s nothing left to hide. Locked in seclusion, it feels like I’ve already died. If I’m in limbo, then there must be more to decide. There’s something left.
7.	Scum of the Earth 04:38	lyrics	buy track
I am the scum of the earth. I’ve displayed it in every single verse. I am a cloud of dust From all these things that I have set to combust. I’m on my way out. Don’t wait up for A savior to fix this life you’ve found. Abandoned, I’ve lost faith. I’ll save it for someone else who cares. I am the virtues perverse. I have shown it in every single curse. I am of ancient love. I am the fire that burns this town from above. I’m on my way out. Don’t wait up for A savior to fix this life you’ve found. Abandoned, I’ve lost faith. I’ll save it for someone else who cares. Don’t wait up for A savior to fix this life you’ve found. Abandoned, I’ve lost faith. I’ll save it for someone else who cares.
8.	The Rough 05:22	lyrics	buy track
Upon this cold, dead body I am buried in my own guilt. Imagine everything’s burning, Just to revel in all I’ve built. Feel’s like the traveler’s caught up with me. Attached then ripped at the seams. These eyes are open wide, It’s been a long time. I’ll fight so hard to reach. I might be broken but my heart’s still beating. Breath steady won’t come From smoke inside my lungs. As time runs out to flee, I might be broken but my heart’s still beating. The spirit’s trapped in a moment That the heart would rather forget. While consequences surround me I have earned all that I will get. Feel’s like the traveler’s caught up with me. Attached then ripped at the seams. These eyes are open wide, It’s been a long time. I’ll fight so hard to reach. I might be broken but my heart’s still beating. Breath steady won’t come From smoke inside my lungs. As time runs out to flee, I might be broken but my heart’s still beating. Needed these chemicals To hide myself from all these miserable things. Make me invisible. Please take this literal. Confine me inside this rusty cage. These eyes are open wide, It’s been a long time. I’ll fight so hard to reach. I might be broken but my heart’s still beating. Breath steady won’t come From smoke inside my lungs. As time runs out to flee, I might be broken but my heart’s still beating.
9.	Exposed 05:40	lyrics	buy track
Let’s come together through the dawn And sing about the ones who’ve come and gone. Hope is gone. We’ll bring about a world that’s new And paint it all now, something brighter blue. White and blue. If I could only bring myself around Maybe I’ll find an answer can be found. Gone to a place now where the blackbirds sing. And suddenly, I’ll fall asleep when you cut the string. Save yourself from endless nights forgotten and alone. Light it up with fireflies. The lies are now exposed. Lie down upon this cold hard ground Let’s swim against the tides and don’t you drown. Don’t you drown. This beast will chase me through the briar. I’ll throw the evidence into the fire. In the fire. Look at all the possibilities. If I can just sit still and try to breathe. I’m beginning to asphyxiate. I can’t breathe. Here’s a lesson in incompetence. Get to experience this consciousness. Something’s pressing down on top of me. I can’t breathe. If I could only bring myself around Maybe I’ll find an answer can be found. Gone to a place now where the blackbirds sing. And suddenly, I’ll fall asleep when you cut the string. Save yourself from endless nights forgotten and alone. Light it up with fireflies. The lies are now exposed. If I could only bring myself around Maybe I’ll find an answer can be found. Gone to a place now where the blackbirds sing. And suddenly, I’ll fall asleep when you cut the string. Save yourself from endless nights forgotten and alone. Light it up with fireflies. The lies are now exposed.
10.	A Cure For What Ails You 05:20	lyrics	buy track
Take my will. Take my life from me. I’ll tell this story through. If I could only be just like you. If I could only do the things you do. It wouldn’t all turn out this way. Feel pain every single day! Pour me a drink…of water I’m parched from this disorder. A cup of coffee To rouse me from this sleep that I can’t shake. Can I open my eyes now? I’ll fall but I’ll find out. A cure for what ails you, It should never fail you. See me through several steps to Tap into past memories viewed. If I could only be just like you. If I could only do the things you do. Could never hear a word you say. Left here like a fucking stray! Scream Pour me a drink…of water I’m parched from this disorder. A cup…of coffee To rouse me from this sleep that I can’t shake. Can I open my eyes now? I’ll fall but I’ll find out. A cure for what ails you, It should never fail you. So here’s where I stand I’m letting this go. I’m searching for a glimpse of my fate and I found you. I’m taking it back to where it began. Through these hospital corridors I am yours. Pour me a drink. (x2)
11.	Paper Sailboat 03:51	lyrics	buy track
See this plank? I’m walking it. The bitter taste, It’s confidence wavering, lost. We’re taking on water fast. This pirate ship, sinking to the depths is the cost. This story must be told. So they know they’re not alone. I’ll send a paper sailboat so they do. Keep it frank, as time is lost. The albatross, clipped of wings it soars to the beyond. Weakness, in attitudes, Falsified, in characters so we can keep it on. This story must be told. So they know they’re not alone. I’ll send a paper sailboat so they do. Paint it up in paraffin. With even coats, paper thin. The weather’s dark. It’s seeping in. I’m sure we’ll make it through. This story must be told. So they know they’re not alone. I’ll send a paper sailboat so they do. We’ll scream these words out loud. They’ll know just what we’ve found. I’ll send a paper sailboat so they do. I’m sure that we will make it through.
12.	Consumed (Acoustic) 03:57	lyrics	buy track
I'm not the person I thought I was. It’s not as clear as it seemed. This storm consumes me inside my mind, And all that's left is a dream. We will regret the things that we've said. The secrets I'm keeping could bury you in hopelessness. The treasures I'm seeking are simply minutes of a tryst. And I'll be holding my own. You should have left me alone. The king is getting dethroned. Now tell me why did you leave me here. An orphan left of the host. Sing out the voices of emptiness. When all your heart has been lost. We will regret the things that we've said. The secrets I'm keeping could bury you in hopelessness. The treasures I'm seeking are simply minutes of a tryst. And I'll be holding my own. You should have left me alone. The king is getting dethroned. Open your eyes. Let me inside. I won't hold my breath. It scares me to death, This endless regret. The secrets I'm keeping could bury you in hopelessness. The treasures I'm seeking are simply minutes of a tryst. And I'll be holding my own. You should have left me alone. The king is getting dethroned. Sing out the voices of emptiness. When all your heart has been lost.
13.	All the Rest is Darkness 04:42	lyrics	buy track
If you feel like dying know you’re not alone. If you feel like crying I’ll turn every stone. I’m kicking up dirt, I’m so accident prone. While you wash it away I’ll be taking it slow. If the bridges all crumbled and oceans flooded our home. Would you be true? Be brave? Stand? I know I would. I promised my faith in you. What’d I know? And even when the fight was done, I couldn’t let go. Our stars have aligned, I wouldn’t trade it all. No. I’ll leave this weight behind. As above is so below. If the bridges all crumbled and oceans flooded our home. Would you be true? Be brave? Stand? I know I would. What a valiant effort you’ve put forth, But in the end you’ve lost. Failure breeds contempt with no rest. I digress. I digress. If the bridges all crumbled and oceans flooded our home. What’d I know? This bitter thing that brought me here would leave me all alone. If the sun never shined and our days were filled with snow. Would you be true? Be brave? Stand? Would you be true? I know I would.

credits

released October 31, 2023

All songs written and performed by Mark P Presti Jr.
Additional Vocals on “The Alternative” by David Fippinger
Recorded, Mixed and Produced at Locked in a Closet Studios (East Windsor, NJ)
Mastered by Bill Henderson at Azimuth Mastering (Trenton, NJ)

Photography, Layout and Design by Sioban Marie Schmeding

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about

Mark P Presti Jr. East Windsor, New Jersey

After a decade-long hiatus, Mark P Presti Jr. is back. Going solo has given him the freedom to explore new ideas and tackle meaningful subjects outside of his past bands. He made his mark in the early 2000s New Jersey music scene. Mark draws inspiration from classic horror movies. If you're into Hard Rock and horror-themed storytelling, give his work a listen! ... more